Breaking Boundaries
by Bearscoffee
Summary: Edd, after being abandoned by his parents, stumbles upon a new guardian. He's rather terrifying, and smokes like there's no tomorrow. But after revealing what's under that mysterious hat of his, Double D finds that he is not entirely alone. AU!Edd, Kevedd, shitty attempts at drama and surviving high school.
1. Chapter 1

Story prompt? I like the idea of the AU!Edd and AU!Kevin, but I feel that I could make them meet each other in a more… linear way? Not exactly explaining myself that well, but I want them both to exist in the same universe without timebending shenanigans.

Kevedd belongs to the mothership c2ndy2c1d, AU!Kevedd to kirakurryart and asphyxion, and I'm sure there are a lot more Kevedd fans out there with beautiful art and writings but I'm too lazy to list them

((this is my guilty pleasure of a fandom squeee))

* * *

The midnight air breezed past a set of thin bedroom curtains, rustling papers containing a list of exponents, crude angles, and numerous mathematical equations with circled estimates in bright red ink. They all fell to the floor, gently scattering across a gray carpet that had been vacuumed not half an hour ago. Despite the mess, the ground in which the papers fell upon looked perfect. It was cold, pristine.

Lonely.

A cry was heard outside of the house, choked abruptly by its owner. Quietly the hunched figure pulled tighter at his winter jacket sleeves, desperately trying to dry his remorse that watered his eyesight. Finding that it was futile, he let out another sob and ducked his head into his knees.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid…" he cried, shuddering. The fleece of his pajamas tugged with the cold night air.

Eddward had been unable to sleep for the past two days thanks to an incident involving a foolish prank, his crumbling relationship with his boyfriend, and the cold shoulder he had gotten from who the sock-headed boy believed to be his friend. Eddy made profit from every scandal he had ever dared to try and the ruining of those closest to him was no exception. _Maybe he didn't realize_, Eddward thought foolishly, _how much he meant to me_.

Thinking about that horrible day at school felt like ripping open a healing wound. He winced, sniffling.

The sock-headed teen was weighing the pros and cons of leaving his chilly solitude or returning to the warmth of his house when he heard a strange noise. Lifting his head slightly, Eddward looked out into the shadows of his backyard, finding nothing. Slightly confused but still choosing to ignore what could have been his imagination, the crying teen lifted his small frame from the cold concrete of his patio and turned to go inside.

Then he heard it again.

The sound was almost… electronical. Like wires sparking or some sort of machinery ripping itself apart. Mutilation, in a sense, but still carefully coded together. Sleep deprived and slightly woozy from the effort put into explaining the strange sound in his mind, Double D's legs locked in fear.

_Good heavens, _he thought, _what in the world could that be?_

Hand on the slider door, Eddward prepared to quickly thrust himself inside the safety of his home. Tears still trailing down the cold expanse of his pale face, watery blue eyes watched in fearful anticipation of what danger was to come.

Deep down where a pessimistic part of himself he didn't have the courage to acknowledge existed, Double D wondered as to how much shit he would have to deal with in a day. Apparently losing your boyfriend wasn't enough—you had to go and get murdered too. Lovely.

To his absolute horror a figure emerged from the midnight shadows like something straight out of one of Ed's supernatural comic books. Hands seemed to grip the fabric of reality and wrench it apart, ripping threads that kept both sanity and science in its place. The sudden display of what he could only assume was demonic energy left poor Double D breathless and his hand, slippery with sweat, fell from the door handle. His pulse raced wildly as a sob caught in his throat.

Finally, as the dark limbs broke from the void in his backyard, a tall, looming figure stood before Double D.

He looked terribly normal for someone who just destroyed every inkling of scientific theory.

Shaking noticeably, the terrified teen could do nothing but stare as silence continued throughout the night. The strange noise was gone, but the effects were still there.

"Ah…" Double D gasped, lips trembling. Only a sliver of moonlight allowed him to see the icy blue eyes that stared back, cruel and bright in their intensity. Long, thin legs were wrapped in tight jeans that had a silver chain hanging off one hip, which was cocked out a bit to the side. The figure wore a leather jacket layered with a simple gray hoodie, somehow accenting the scratched dogtags with indecipherable letters hanging from his pale exposed neck.

Double D was speechless, while the figure eyed him critically. Finally, he spoke.

"Jesus fucking Christ," the figure spat, tongue clicking between the now noticeable gap in his two front teeth. "Still crying like a goddamn _baby_."

Trembling, the young teen flinched when long, tapered fingers reached out to touch his cheek. They gripped his face firmly to the point where it almost hurt, bringing Double D's eyes back up to the face of the stranger. He started a bit at how similar the figure's features were to his own. Despite the disgusted scowl and the height difference, this stranger could have been an older relation of some sort.

"W-who are you?"

The stranger's scowled dropped so quickly that Double D couldn't help but flinch again. It transformed into a leering smile, dripping dark intent and honest amusement. He couldn't help but marvel at how expressive the stranger was, the ability to clearly show another person every emotion he was feeling with only a few select muscle movements astounded the frightened teen.

The fear was almost forgotten until a sharp tug at his chin brought his attention elsewhere.

"What, you haven't figured it out already?" there was a bark of ugly laughter, hot breath fanning into Double D's face. Continuing to shake, he tried to extract himself from the sudden invasion of his personal space. It failed, causing the stranger to pull the young teen closer. Heart hammering wildly, Double D could feel the strong contours of the tall figure's chest against his face, dogtags digging into his soft pale cheeks. The feeling was so awkward and so sudden that the frightened Edd could barely hold himself up, allowing the stranger to hoist him up over his shoulder without a second thought.

"W-wait!" Double D stammered, finally finding his bearings and struggled to return to the ground. The stranger took no heed to his request, and instead opened the slider doors that connected to the kitchen and dining area of the young teen's house. Double D found himself slightly irritated that the stranger just slouched across the tiled floor without even taking off his shoes, counting every particle of dirt that trailed behind them.

Setting him down rather roughly on one of the barstools at the center of the kitchen, the tall intruder sneered at his surroundings. He put his hands on his hips, looking displeased.

"Fuckin' perfect, as usual. Christ, you're just like him."

"I'm sorry?" Double D replied shakily, staring in confusion at his displeased doppelganger. Or, at least, he was assuming that was what he was at this point. Really, their similarities were staggering.

The stranger turned to him again. "Your house, princess. All pristine and mysophobic and shit." He scuffed a dirty heel against the clean tile of the kitchen floor. Double D winced. "Too fuckin' clean for my tastes. Needs a little more _style_."

At a loss for words for possibly the third time in his life, the young teen bit his lip and struggled to find something to say. The look the intruder gave him choked him up further.

"Whatcha lookin' at, kid?" he sneered, making the gap in his teeth more noticeable. Shaking slightly and fascinated at his rather startling situation, Double D wondered if the space in his teeth was just as prominent. It made him momentarily self-conscious, though he quickly came to his senses and began to rationalize his current situation. For one, he could not explain the ripping of the shadows in his backyard nor the noise it made. He decided to skip that, in favor of exploring something more in the norm. Er, well, as normal as the situation itself it could be, Double D corrected himself mentally. There was always the possibility that this… adult, stranger, whoever he was, could be a runaway cousin of his. Maybe his parents had siblings they failed to mention to him. Maybe this look-alike was searching for a place to stay.

The chances of these being possible were falling under 10%. The chances of his continued safety was in the negatives.

_Oh dear._

There was a sudden poke at Double D's forehead, startling him from his inner musings. Blinking, he glanced up and yelped when the stranger's face came close to his.

"Hello? Anybody there?" he called mockingly, an amused sneer stretched smugly across his face. Renewed terror filled the young teen, and he couldn't help but shake in his seat.

"P-please refrain from touching m-me," Double D managed to respond, lips mildly trembling. He scooted back slightly in his seat, clutching at the edges tightly.

"Why? What's wrong with a little physical affection?"

"I-I do not like to be touched b-by people whom I do not know." Double D stammered, barely holding his composure. He could smell the nicotine on the stranger's breath, fanning quietly in his face. His teeth weren't yellow yet, at least, although he most certainly did not smell desirable.

"Hmmm…" his doppelganger hummed, still amused but slightly irritated. He leaned back, thankfully out of the young teen's face, and shoved his hands roughly in his jean pockets. Double D honestly didn't know how they fit in there.

"You still don't get it, do you?" he laughed, sharp and full of such darkness that the young Edd couldn't fathom how any organism could handle such negativity. He felt his body drain of life from just hearing it. "You never questioned how all of this happened? Seriously?"

"I-I would appreciate it if you were not s-so vague in your questions." Double D sat up straighter in his seat, trying and failing to summon any form of confidence. "Maybe then I could begin to fathom what it is you are begging me to u-understand."

"The project." The stranger stated, and suddenly all amusement was gone. A chill filled the air, accenting the sudden shift in tone and bringing with it the same sound that had ripped apart every form of comprehensibility in Double D's backyard. It was a quiet buzz filled with energy that threatened to grow.

The young teen could see himself pale in the reflection of the stranger's eyes.

"T-The _what?_"

Frustrated, the stranger balled his fists and slammed them down on the kitchen island. The young Edd jumped.

"_The project_, princess. What do you think your parents have been up to all these years, hmm?" he growled, fist still situated angrily on the counter. He hissed annoyance out his nose, but only managed to confuse Double D further. There was a quiet pang of loneliness in the young teen as he suddenly remembered his guardian's absence.

They had stopped visiting the house altogether about a year ago, and then further along the months went they stopped calling as well. Eventually, the money they sent for basic necessities dwindled down to nothing, and Double D had to call their secretary almost every week to have her remind them to send at least a check before he starved. Even with his part time job at the bookstore, he could only afford to buy a certain amount of groceries each month.

What really tipped him off that his parents might have officially left him was when the electricity bill arrived in the mail several weeks ago. They never were sent to the house, but rather forwarded to his parent's office for them to pay later through telephone. When it arrived and showed a couple hundred that Double D could barely fathom of paying, he tried calling the secretary for help.

She didn't answer.

In fact, all the emergency numbers his parents had for him didn't work. There was one, but it only managed to contact a sleazy lawyer his mother had an affair with at some point. Double D only knew this because of an incident when he was ten where he answered the phone while his parents were gone and said sleaze tried to have phone sex with him, thinking it was his mother. He was horribly inebriated, and Double D was terrified out of his wits. Sadly, he was probably the first out of anyone in the Cul-De-Sac to discover what a dildo is.

Double D sighed shakily, trying to quench the feeling of hopelessness clenching at his heart. He didn't know which felt worse: his parent's abandonment, or the possibility of losing his boyfriend. Either way, he felt his fears dwindle and a dark depression sink in.

"I do not know what they do, nor do I have any inclination or ways of finding out." The stranger furrowed his brows at the sudden shift in attitude in the young teen, fist unclenching. Double D glanced sadly at a letter he had received in the mail this morning, the final piece to the crumbling in his heart. "As you can probably see, I am alone, and they have left me."

The stranger followed Double D's heavy gaze to the folded paper on the counter beside the fridge. Without a word, he sauntered toward the questionable object and picked the letter up before reading it. He scoffed after he finished.

"Should've known." His doppelganger laughed darkly, less amused and almost allowing a twinge of pity to squeeze into his voice. He shook the papers out in front of him. "Last straw, ain't it? They left you their mortgage bill."

Double D looked down, quietly folding his hands. "It would appear so."

It was silent for several seconds, neither knowing exactly what to do.

"So how're you gonna pay for it?"

Blinking, lost in his thoughts, the young Edd looked up. "Pardon?"

Irritation once again returning to his shadowed features, the stranger repeated his question. "How will you pay for this?"

Baffled, and rather exhausted at all the confrontation, Double D stared. "I-I haven't the faintest idea, quite frankly. My part time employment barely covers eating expenses. There's really nothing I can do except… leave."

Unimpressed, the stranger put a hand on his hip. He waved the papers around again, stressing its importance, all the while glaring. "You can't run away from this."

"W-Well, my parents certainly did!" Tired and beginning to get rather impatient with his lookalike, Double D rubbed his forehead as a migraine slowly started to set in. It had already been throbbing earlier thanks to his crying, but now he just felt used and wasted to the point of not caring anymore. The pessimist inside him saw his chance to shine. "Look, I do not know who you are or _where_ you came from, but I'd appreciate it if you left me alone. This is still my house, my parents, and my rather dreadful situation. I do _not _need anyone making anything more difficult and emotionally bearing than it already is, since as of now I am single, friendless, parentless, as well as having the _strong _possibility of being homeless."

There was a scoff, and it came to no surprise that the stranger was in his face again. Double D had dealt with short, hot tempered people all his life, so it did not startle him as much as it did before when suddenly his personal space was being invaded. He looked up, tired and barely shaking.

"Your parents left for a reason." The doppelganger stated, a dark shadow edging the corners of his face. Now, more than ever, he looked threatening. Double D could sense hidden knowledge buried in the stranger's icy blue eyes with all the intent of sharing it as harshly and as nerve wrecking as possible.

Unimpressed, he replied. "I would assume so. Thank you for stating the obvious and continuing to remain vague."

The stranger slapped him, hard, across the face.

The shock of the impact knocked Double D straight out of his chair and tumbling onto the cold tiled floor, the air rushing out of his lungs as he cried out. He barely had time to adjust himself before his arms were gripped tightly and his back was slammed against the fridge. The young Edd panted, terror filling in his gut again, as he was pinned by the stranger.

"Oh ho ho," his doppelganger laughed, face close. "You think you got everything figured out, don't you? Well, then, do share as to why your parents abandoned their child!"

"I-I don't_ know_! Please! Release me!"

Another growl, and the young Edd was pushed harder into the cool metal of the fridge. "You know, Eddward, now tell me!"

"H-how do you—"

_Slap_

The stranger returned his hold on Double D's arm.

"_Answer me!_"

Terrified, Edd bit his tongue as another plead threatened to escape. He felt humiliated and scared and exhausted, his body almost giving out on him and his face stinging. One more blow and his lip would split. Gasping, he forced his answer out.

"I'm a failure," he paused, trying to ignore how his heart broke a little at the confession. "...that's why they left me."

The stranger, a deep sort of frenzy in his eyes, smiled. Double D couldn't tell who was shaking harder, but there was definitely a quiver in his doppelganger's arms as he spoke.

"Yes," he laughed. "Yes, you are a failure, aren't you?"

The young teen felt a stinging in his eyes, and when wetness slid across the defeated expanse of his skin he couldn't help but feel slightly surprised that he had any more tears to give. At this point, Double D felt he had nothing left in him to stay alive.

The tears did not go unnoticed by the stranger. He lowered the young teen from the fridge to the ground, lifting a bruised hand to brush away almost gently the evidence of Double D's misery. Chuckling, icy eyes narrowed.

"You were never meant to succeed. You were brought into this world as a disappointment, carefully handled because of how _weak_ you are. A test-tube child. You were created because they wanted to make the ideal offspring, one with all the perfect particles and proteins lined up according to their calculations. You were meant to be the new human race. Their dreams, brought to life." He hissed, the gap in his teeth making it more profound. "Yet it failed. You _failed_. Everything went to shit because something went wrong! You were small and broken the day you came into this world, and as you grew they all knew nothing good would come out of their creation of science born and bred into a disappointing, weak sack of skin. So sensitive and bright, yet would never hold up to the standards they placed upon you… fascinating, so weak and troubled…"

As the statement wore off, Double D brought wide eyes up to his assailant.

"Why are you telling me this?" he barely whispered, lips shaking.

"Because," the stranger answered, smile deepening. His hand left the younger Edd's face and went to his hat, identical to the one his doppelganger was wearing and just as mysterious. Slowly, he tugged it off, the dogtags hanging around his neck clinking slightly. The room was buzzing with that sound again, and Double D felt his breath come short.

Thin, feathery hair was revealed, ink black and wispy in its shortness. But what really caught the young Edd's attention—made his heart stop, pulse rattle like thunder, bladder clench, stomach drop—was the scar etched deep into the side of his head, disrupting the natural flow of hair and crudely mimicking a certain numeral.

"Because," he repeated, leaning in close to Double D's ear. His nicotine breath fanned against his cheek, causing a chill to go down his already frozen spine.

"_I am number one." _


	2. Chapter 2

Double D ran.

He didn't even think of the consequences, nor the impending death that was his doppelganger's anticipated fury. In a fit of terror the young Edd had lifted his leg quickly and hit it hard against his assailant's crotch, dealing great damage. He fell, groaning, hat limp and black on the floor.

"_Fuck!_" the intruder shouted. "You little brat!"

Leaving it at that, Double D didn't think twice about sprinting away. Instinct brought him upstairs, into the long hallway leading to his room. For some reason the idea of getting trapped didn't occur to the frightened genius, since the forefront of his mind was focused solely on a sense of security and seclusion.

Emotions rattled, skin scraping slightly from a sharp turn against the banister, he ran.

_"I am number one."_

He wanted to cry. More than anything he wanted the stranger in his house to leave, and in return bring back his parents and the old sense of family he had before he moved to Peach Creek. But that wasn't possible. His parents no longer wanted him. No one did.

_But he wasn't alone._

Double D tried to erase the memory of the scar from his mind, but couldn't. To him it was much too familiar and held too close of a resemblance of what was hidden under his own hat. It frustrated him, confused him, that someone who he had never met before knew so much about him.

Panting, he threw open his bedroom door and burst inside, swinging around quickly to slam it shut. Once securely locked, Double D fell to the carpeted floor in a daze. His face still stung from the onslaught of slaps, yet the adrenaline kept it from fully registering. He knew it would bruise, shadowing the insomnia under his eyes further.

Staring at the dull silver knob, the young Edd listened carefully for any signs of movement over the sound of his erratic breathing. It was silent on the other side of the door, which only further provoked the stewing anxiety in his gut. _Where had he gone? _he thought, hands shaking. The walls were not exactly thick, so if his intruder decided to pursue him he would undoubtedly know.

Now left alone in the sanitized confines of his room, Double D fought back an onslaught of unexpected emotions. Terror was at the forefront, but a creeping sadness tugged at the back of his throat. There was also a sense of relief, to which the young teen felt was oddly misplaced in his current situation, but connected solely to the mysterious resemblance that he held with the intruder in his house.

_Impossible. Uncanny! We are even wearing the same hat!_

Briefly, amongst the shakes that racked his small frame, he wondered where their similarities would end.

His panting almost hid the strange buzzing that had begun to fill his room, gently rattling the sheets on his bed and vibrating along the back of Double D's neck.

He screamed as a hand suddenly clutched his shoulder.

"_Get away from me!"_

A heavy weight was pressed into his back, slamming him into the carpet floor. Without further warning Double D was flipped and long, shadowed hands buzzing with energy clutched at his throat. His screams died along with his sanity.

"Thought you could run?" the stranger sneered, fury blazing in his eyes. The icy blue had never been so striking as it was now, pinning the young Edd and freezing his insides. _No no no no no! _his mind screamed. _How could he have possibly gotten in?!_

The leering figure shook Edd's frame harshly, popping his neck a bit. His throat tingled and ached from the strong grip the stranger had while adrenaline made Double D's pulse flutter frantically. To him, this was the end, and there was no escape.

His captor looked like he couldn't have agreed more.

"Now," his doppelganger said. "Why don't we have a little chat? Unless you feel like expressing your disdain further."

The shadows under his eyes deepened as he leaned closer to the shivering teen. Double D could only shake his head no, hoping for mercy. He found very little when the stranger continued to fanatically grin, but the suffocating grip on his neck had loosened slightly.

"Good. I do not think you would have liked the results had you chosen to strike me again. I only get hit once, Eddward, but after that…" the gap in his front top teeth became horrendously noticeable when he smiled like that, Double D decided. "There is nothing to stop me from killing one who has made such a grave mistake."

_Forget mercy,_ the young Edd decided. _I'm dealing with a monster._

Frightened blue eyes met the strangers, tears leaking out onto the top of his hands.

"Number two," he stated, and Double D couldn't help but flinch and bring his eyes up to the scar on the intruder's head. He had left his hat in the kitchen. "That's what you are. The second project, the second child born from our mother and father's minds. I'm sure though, that your 'birthmark'"—he laughed, quick and sharp—"isn't as horrendous as my own. They at least had enough mercy to save you from that. Their first mistake, honestly. They never should have let you not suffer."

Choked, whether it was on fear or the physical force on his neck he could not say, Double D tried to wrap his mind around the horrors the intruder was revealing.

"No…" he rasped, "No, mother and father… couldn't do that… they never said—"

"Of course not!" his doppelganger snapped, eyes flashing. Nicotine and sweat overwhelmed Double D's senses. "They wanted to see what would happen to the project's development if they hid the truth from you! Your surroundings, your environment, was key to bringing out the difference—what made me _fail_—to create the final and perfect project."

_You are not alone._

"Everything, down to that stupid sock they put on your head, was planned. Executed like the calculations hanging in their office windows, scattering across the dinner table." Breathing deeply, angry for reasons Double D could not completely grasp, the doppelganger's lips quivered. "Do you not remember!"

_Not alone._

"Do you not remember all the doctor's visits? The tests they'd make you do? _Anything?_"

_Alone._

"What do you _know?"_

Their faces were so close that with every breath he let out Double D sucked in. Already so overwhelmed, heart beating painfully in his chest, the young teen flinched and twitched under all the shouting. Finally, he ripped one of his hands free, startling his doppelganger. Double D reached up to the back of his own head and stared, shuddering breaths holding back sobs and worsening their proximity while his fingers clenched on the black cloth of his hat.

Lips parted, hands shaking. "I remember."

The doppelganger's blue eyes widened.

It was the small ounce of humility, the pity laced in his voice when he read the letter in the kitchen—the _understanding_, deep sorrow and anger that finally made all the pieces click. The number '1' scarred on his head sorted his priorities and finally, spine stilled and uncomfortable like the tight grip on his neck, Double D pulled.

Memories flooded as his hat fell onto the pristine white carpet, branding it like the number '2' on his head.

"_I remember."_

* * *

It was hours later that they ended up back in the kitchen. The lights were on, covering the clean counters in a milky glow that cheerfully disregarded the animosity clouding the room. Double D put on the kettle and got out two packets of instant hot chocolate. He should be asleep at this hour—_goodness me it's three in the morning!—_but his head was too heavy and his newest occupant would not allow such a thing. There were matters to discuss.

Double D turned to face his doppelganger, who sat comfortably at the kitchen island. The stool that had been knocked over previously had been set to right, although a little too crooked for the younger teen's tastes.

_At least someone is enjoying himself,_ Double D thought, mildly annoyed.

"So…" he began, catching the other's attention. "What do we do from here?"

Leaning as far as he could in the barstool chair, the darker Edd folded his arms. "Too be quite honest, princess… I do not really know." He looked troubled, shadowed eyes brooding. "We are both abandoned scientific failures and currently out of money, as well as close to losing this house." He waved one of his hands, distracted.

Double D blinked. "I have some money, but only enough to cover half of this month's electricity. There's nothing, not even in my savings, that can cover for the $1,200 mortgage bill."

Silence crept between the two of them, until the kettle screeched.

"Goodness!" rushing over to the contraption, he pulled it quickly off the stove and turned the knob into the off position. Setting the steaming kettle down, Double D quickly grabbed two mugs from the cupboard and ripped the hot chocolate packages open. He could feel his doppelganger's stare piercing his back.

Carefully pouring the water, the young Edd finished making the drinks and brought them over to the kitchen island. The brooding figure didn't move to pick his up.

When nothing more was said, Double D scrambled for the courage to speak.

"What are you called?"

His doppelganger snorted.

"I-I did not mean that offensively, just that I wish to know how to address you…" awkwardly lapsing back into silence, the young Edd took a sip out of his drink and nearly burnt his tongue. He coughed, making the other teen laugh.

"It's Edward, just like yours, except with only one D." his laughter died as he turned to look out the dining room window. "Our parents, while lacking in everything else, at least had a horrible sense of humor."

"Ah."

The young teen briefly imagined how much his parent's could get away with before the name became ridiculous. Edddddddddddddward, the many D's.

"Do you mind if I call you Vincent?" he said, mind heavy and treading on hysterical.

The sudden question made the other sit up slightly. "Vincent?"

"Yes. It was mother's maiden name before she took on father's, Antonucci."

There was a pause as the other considered it. He stared, mildly annoyed, looking more than anything like he could use twelve days worth of sleep. To Double D he still smelled horrible and wondered if he could convince his doppelganger to take a shower at some point.

"Sounds alright." He finally said, shrugging and picking up his mug of hot chocolate. "Vincent and Eddward Antonucci. Two brotherly cusps of abomination. Fucking nice."

"Language, please." Eddward admonished, too tired to worry about upsetting his now 'brother' of a sorts. He didn't want to think too hard on that one.

The doppelganger now deemed 'Vincent' scoffed.

"Your delicate vocabulary never ceases to amuse me."

"I'm happy to not disappoint." The younger grumbled, eyes drooping.

The silence settle once more, although this time it was not awkward. Both sat, thinking and still shaken from their previous encounter. While emotionally drained, there was still sorrowful residue and a desperate need for something stable. Both clutched their mugs tightly and ignored the burning of their hands, the older of the two more easily. He had dealt with pain more than the other.

As the clock above the sink ticked away, the nerves of the two continued to rise. Finally a breaking point was made, and 'Vincent' pushed away from the kitchen island roughly. Startled, Double D straightened.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, wide eyed.

"We," stated the other, eyes gleaming. Double D was happy to see that life had returned into the icy blue orbs, but wary as to the source. "Are going to rob a bank."

"_What?!"_

"C'mon." It was only then, after watching his older image walk to the front door with a confident stride, that Double D realized he hadn't taken his dirty boots off the entire time he had been in his house. Furious, he followed, putting on his shoes roughly at the front door entrance.

"Now listen here, mister!" he called, tugging on a coat from the hanger by the door and rushing outside to meet his Vincent—

—only to discover a motorcycle in the driveway. It had never been there, shouldn't have been there, and most importantly, _where in the world had it come from._

"You…" Double D started, eyes widening in disbelief.

Vincent sneered, pulling out a helmet and tossing it to his younger counterpart. He barely caught it, amusing the dark figure further, face flushed in outrage. The buzzing from previous encounters lingered on the edge of the driveway, the noise finally coming to an end as Double D adjusted.

"We can't just—" he sputtered, waving his hands around. "rob a bank! What in the world…?"

"How else are we supposed to pay for that mortgage bill, princess? Hmmm?" mounting the dark bike, the older Edd jerked his head in the direction towards town central. "Due date's tomorrow."

"Yes! But we don't need to go to such measures!"

"Hush, brother. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Now get on before you wake the neighbors."

Double D looked around the Cul-De-Sac, realizing that his words were echoing about. Suddenly worried about getting caught, he shoved the helmet on his head and awkwardly situated himself on the motorcycle. He was still in his pajamas, allowing the fleece to catch embarrassingly on the studs adorning the sides of Vincent's jeans. The younger Edd gripped the older teen's waist tightly, having been on a bike before.

_Oh no. What if we wake—?_

The bike did not thunder to life like he was expecting, catching Double D momentarily off guard. Suddenly, the motorcycle slid back of out the driveway before lurching forward down the street. He passed several houses he knew as well as the back of his hand in the blink of an eye, and before he knew it Double D was skirting along the edges of town. Slightly delirious, he closed his eyes.

It was minutes later that they pulled to a stop.

"Eddward," the elder said, cutting off the engine and twisting back to look at his younger counterpart. "All I need you to do is carry the small bag I will bring out. Nothing more, and then you need to put the twelve hundreds into a sealed envelope with our home owner's insurance and leasing company's address on it. Is that understood?"

Double D looked up weakly through the dark lens of the helmet. "Yes…" he mumbled, sound barely reaching outside of the protective barrier. Vincent nodded before dismounting.

"Be back in ten, princess." The dark figure waved, figure buzzing before he was off.

Double D was anxious, hands wringing in worry. Streetlights flickered quietly in the early morning darkness, a mist beginning to rise around the storefronts. No one was around, but they had parked in a dark corner of an ally way the younger Edd remembered chasing a stray cat in for one of Eddy's past scams. Suddenly caught by a wave of nostalgia, Double D closed his eyes to fight back further sorrow. He had completely forgotten all of his previous problems after meeting his doppelganger! _Not exactly a surprise_, he mused, but he was still disturbed by his absentmindedness. His relationship with Kevin had been plaguing him for months, always caught up in secrecy and self-doubt. He had forgotten all of that the mere second Vincent… the 'other' Edward had set foot in front of him.

_Kevin_, he thought. _I guess I never really did deserve him. The jock, the 'popular' guy, despite knowing him since he was seven._

Double D decided he had had enough self pity for one day, and pushed all thoughts about his friends aside. Right now, he was committing a crime. Lovely.

He knew Vincent was close when he heard the buzzing, that strange mechanical vibration that rose whenever the older Edd was incited by something. Sure enough, his head peeked out from a corner in the ally and his icy blue eyes met a warmer mirror image of his own.

"All's clear." He said, before jogging towards the bike and tossing Double D a small stuffed sack. The young Edd felt his stomach coil. _This is so wrong._

"Here's the envelope with all the addresses and shit, so count out twelve hundreds and seal it so we can head home." The dark criminal looked around. "There should be a mail box somewhere…"

"I…" Double D said, swallowing as he looked at the bundle in his arms. "I-I don't think I can do this."

Turning back sharply, Vincent answered with a snap. "And why not?"

"I just… this is criminal! There has to be another way!"

Ignoring Eddward's wail the taller figure leaned in closer, icy eyes leveled with him. "Our parents stole your future from you," his voice was low, controlled, but held a deep intensity. "It's time to steal it back."

"But it doesn't work that—" a hand was clamped over Double D's mouth, silencing any further protests.

"This is your choice, kiddo."

Quiet, desperate eyes looked down at the small fortune in his arms, weighing the pros and cons and his guilty conscious. He wanted to live, he wanted to succeed—more than anything he wanted to not be alone.

Double D nodded his head. The hand fell from his face and tossed the envelope in his direction. It fell, limp, in the young Edd's lap.

The crisp cash fell with its destined address into the blue mailbox down the street not five minutes later. A chill autumn wind rustled Double D's pajamas and made him shiver hard as they sped down the main road leading past Peach Creek High, making the fatigued teen bow his head in shame. It was five in the morning, and he hadn't gotten any sleep.

The pessimist inside him wanted to further add that he also had a huge AP Biology test today as well, and wasn't that just lovely?

When they finally arrived home Double D opened the garage door, swaying awkwardly on his feet and barely making it inside. Vincent closed and locked everything up, looking more energetic than the younger Edd thought he had a right to be.

"I would normally ask as to how you managed to break into a secured bank with impressive protective technology for such a small town, but I know I would run the risk of having my brain explode." Vincent laughed at that, something lighter than what Double D had ever heard before since he met him. His insomnia afflicted twin looked amused and finally, _finally, _took off his wretched boots. He set them by the door lazily.

"I'm afraid so." Was his answer, before turning back towards the kitchen.

Double D followed, no longer cautious but oh so dearly wishing for unconsciousness.

"You are not normal, are you?"

Turning back with a gleam in his icy blue eyes, Vincent actually smiled. He shook his head, shrugged off his jacket, and finally settled in what had become a home to him.

"No, I'm not." He chuckled. "But neither are you."

* * *

**Author's Notes**: Hey guys! Very sorry for not updating sooner but school has been rather hectic and well... it just sucks. But summer is here so I'll be able to focus on my stories more. I honestly didn't expect people to be interested in Breaking Boundaries, but wow you guys certainly surprised me! Thank you so much and I'll try and get chapter three up as soon as I can .


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